St. Louis University graduate students who work for the university are trying to form a union that would allow them to win improved working conditions and pay.
In a petition filed Monday with the National Labor Relations Board, the Graduate Workers St. Louis University Union-UAW aims to include all enrolled graduate students who receive financial stipends greater than tuition remission or housing and are graduate assistants who work for the university. Organizers stated that the union would include graduate students who work as fellows or trainees and are required to work for the university.
“Much of the teaching, the grading and the research that is done at SLU is done by graduate workers,” graduate student and union member Rebecca Stokem said. “We feel that it’s important to be represented in the fair contract.”
Stokem said discussions about forming a union began in late 2022 and early 2023 because there hadn’t been a pay raise for graduate workers in about 12 years.
Greater access to child care, parental leave and protections for international students are some of the top issues the union hopes to address, Stokem said. She also said the university did not properly notify graduate students about health insurance changes. Stokem said medical services that used to cost her nothing have become significant burdens.
“After that insurance change, the first lab bill that I got after insurance processed, it was $600 and I have to go for those labs every three months,” Stokem said. “When you are trying to balance paying your bills, getting your schoolwork done and performing your job for the university that's keeping you there to get your schoolwork done, it really becomes a struggle.”
Graduate workers make essential contributions to the teaching and research missions at SLU, graduate students wrote on their organizing website.
"But many of us still struggle to pay high housing and other costs in Saint Louis, lack secure rights in the workplace, and face increasing uncertainty about our futures given the precarious nature of our current working conditions,” they wrote.
Organizers would join the United Auto Workers, which represents more than 100,000 academic workers across the country. The Graduate Workers St. Louis University Union-UAW seeks to include 650 graduate students.
It’s the latest in a growing number of graduate student unionization efforts across the country. According to a report by the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, the number of graduate students who have unionized has increased more than 130% over the past 12 years.
“Me and my colleagues love our jobs, we love going to campus every day,” Stokem said. “What we want is to have a voice about the decisions that are made about us, and to be recognized for the work that we do.”
The petition comes days after the university announced it would lay off 23 staff members and freeze 130 vacant staff positions. Officials said the decision was necessary to sustain the university's financial viability. Earlier this month, the university announced it would cut expenses by $20 million.
In a statement, St. Louis University officials said that graduate students are essential members of the university and that they respects the students’ rights to explore union representation.
“No matter the outcome, the University remains committed to supporting our graduate students and to fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment where all students feel valued and heard,” SLU officials wrote.
This story has been updated with comments from a graduate student and SLU officials.
